KRISTAL Audio Engine v1.0.1
by Kreatives Group
(Kreatives Group Website)

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Operating System:
File Size: 3.48 MB
License:
License Conditions:

KRISTAL Audio Engine is FREEWARE for personal, educational and non-commercial use. Commercial licensing options are available.

System Requirements:

Quality PC. NT-based Windows recommended (XP or 2000) (Win98/ME requires latest Internet Explorer 6.0!), 1280 x 1024 recommended, 1024 x 768 minimum. ASIO-compatible sound card recommended, but should work with everything else, too.

Last Updated: 2004-06-05
For more detail about software : Software Description
  View KRISTAL Audio Engine v1.0.1 Screenshot

Software Description

KRISTAL Audio Engine is a powerful multi-track recorder, audio sequencer and mixer - ideal for anyone wanting to get started with recording, mixing and mastering digital audio.

It is designed as a modular system. The main application provides a mixing console, while the audio sequencer, live audio input and so on are loaded as separate PlugIns.

Features:

  • 16 audio tracks
  • 32 Bit floating point audio engine
  • 44.1 to 192 kHz sample rate
  • 3-band parametric EQ &
  • 2 VST insert slots per channel
  • 3 VST master effect slots
  • ASIO low latency audio driver support
  • 4 KRISTAL PlugIn slots
Related Hardware: To record audio you will need an Audio Interface: See our review of USB Audio Interfaces here.

studio monitors Check out our roundup of affordable Studio Monitors.
 

New in v1.0.1

  • Commercial licensing options available
  • ASIO Engine: - Added support for some more bit depths - 32 Bit now recorded as floating point (was integer before) - Changed channel naming (channel number first) - Samplerate problem with some cards fixed
  • Waver: - Fixed Crossfade bug - Audio files are now imported at cursor position

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

WOULD NOT OPEN ANY OF MY MUSIC FILES

Discouraging piece of crap!! I downloaded ASIO4ALL first, as recommended by other users, then downloaded Kristal. Would not open any music files
on my computer. I thought this would be user friendly for beginners. Not so!! I'm going to have to go to Guitar Center and ask them what they recommend for purchase, that won't have any flaws. I do realize that there's something I need to click to open the files, but this should be easily explained. UNINSTALL!!

New audio production software

If it did not work for you, you can try some of the newer audio production software that we listed.

http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/cat/PRODUCTION_SUITE/

i keep recording vocals on

i keep recording vocals on this and they come out extremely fast and all mumble jumble but im doing them at a slow pace how do i fix this?

I still use this, actually

I still use this, actually sometimes more than reaper!

Need to know some basics for computer recording.

Here's my situation:
I'm looking for the best free recording program for my new Windows 7 - HP 6 core PC, (tons of space and speed and a very good sound card). Or at least the cheapest program that will do the trick.
I have limited computer recording program expieriance so am looking for something not too complex. The recordings I want to do are pretty basic. I want to be able to sit in front of my computer with my acoustic guitar, record that, switch to a mike then add vocals. Also would like to add harmonies, percussion (my own, not synthizised), bass ect... Then I want to be able to mix it down, split songs up for CD track list and in the end, have a full music CD to duplicate (I have the duplicater) that has consistant mastered sound levels and then try to sell them, so I want a professional sound quality.
I have tried external recording systems but really want to try the computer route. I'm not sure were I would plug in the guitars or mikes ect... What would I need other than the program and instuments?
If anyone would like to help me answer these questions, I would truly appriciate your help. Thank you.

Realtek Soundcard?

I have a Windows Vista and it has a Realtek Soundcard. Will it work with this software?

It's free so just download

It's free so just download it and find out - then let everyone here know if it works

It won't play...???

Hey guys, so I've used Kristal for a long time and I'm very familiar with it. But recently my computer crashed and I'm trying it on my backup computer. It's got Windows XP on it, and my other computer had Vista so maybe that's the problem but it really shouldn't be...but anyways I've put all my tracks in and when I hit play, nothing happens. I can move the line that shows what time you're at but it doesn't move at all and it doesn't play. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Did you already have an

Did you already have an answer on this problem? I have the same problem here and I don't found how to solve it! You can answer me on matthiasballieu@hotmail.com. Excuses for my bad Englisch but I'am from Belgium...

It won't play...???
Posted by Dan M on Fri, 07/30/2010 - 19:54.

Hey guys, so I've used Kristal for a long time and I'm very familiar with it. But recently my computer crashed and I'm trying it on my backup computer. It's got Windows XP on it, and my other computer had Vista so maybe that's the problem but it really shouldn't be...but anyways I've put all my tracks in and when I hit play, nothing happens. I can move the line that shows what time you're at but it doesn't move at all and it doesn't play. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Solution: No Audio Output - Transport won't move when click play

Check the "Audio Output" box in the bottom left side of the "Mixer" window. If you do not have a valid interface selected then what you are describing is what happens. Click in the box and pick the correct playback device and it will start working. You need to have previously set up all of your devices in the Engine - Preferences dialog boxes so that Kristal knows what you have installed. Check the tutorials for how to do this in detail. Help - Kristal Audio Engine Help will get you to the web site with the manual and tutorials.

DELAY / LATENCY = ASIO4ALL

If you do not have a ASIO card, download ASIO4ALL and install it.

I found I had to reinstall Kristal as it seems to want the ASIO4ALL installed before Kristal is installed but once done, latency was a thing of the past.

Light will not light up!

I downloaded this program a week ago and i have not been able to get the record button on kristal waver window to light up like the simple instructions say will happen and th light dose not light up and there is no flickering on the scale. Am i missing something or not doing something that the simple instructions think that goes without saying. this what i do. turn on the pc , snap on to the kristal icon ,when it loads i snap audio input 1 and this closes out the mixer panel and takes me to new panel knowen as kristal waver and i have the connection per diagram then click on the record button and the record button dose not light up indicating the track is ready for recording. when i first downloaded the program when i first went through the How to record Kristal audio engine i had trouble with the light lighting up but after a mimute or two the light came on and i recorded one track but that was only a accident because i have tried for five days with in luck. I'm useing a e-machine pc,new but i downloaded the program with dial-up . the only internet service available. i do not think the download is bad. i have not turned any thing on or off sence i was able to do one track many tries ago. any help ?

Krystal OS Requirements

It has a list of Windows OS that it works on... Does it work on Mac OSX 10.4?

Re: Krystal OS Requirements

KRISTAL Audio Engine is only available for Windows.

Check List??

Is there a check list to go through to tell you what you need to do in order to start a recording.

Computer Recording

I heard it all, believe me or not stay away from computer base recording. It will be easier to use why not if you have a high end computer such as dual core processor or higher other than that it will ended up to a lot of frustration. Do not use laptop for recording because it's self contain power. What I mean is the monitor is getting power from one source plus your software etc,etc. What you ended up is your computer will start to freeze, stall, and ugly audio output. So you if still want to use it, use desktop not laptop because desktop has a audio card slot that's easy to upgrade for better one. The monitor is not defended to the computer source and you'll ended up finishing your project with a lot of fun and less stress.

No Clue!

You just don't have a clue .....

Really?

I think you need a better laptop!

Help for beginner setup

Hi everyone, was just browsing and came across this article, hopefully you guys can give me a bit of advice..

I am currently on the look out for a budget audio production system for my sister. At the moment I have sourced a midi cable, Kristal software and a midi compatible electric piano (which she already had). Do any of you guys know if I require any further hardware?

Im also basically looking for advice on whether the following systems have gopod enough spec to allow her to do this:

The Samsung x11 and Samsung R40 (both laptops). A laptop is the preferred option due to space issues, but if this is the totally wrong option then let me know. All would be upgraded to 2gb of Ram, but its the sound card issue Im most worried about as Im assuming the on board sound will not be asio supportive (cant find the spec on the website)...

Bearing in mind she is just a beginner (17 years old), would the on board sound card be enough to allow her to produce her own songs via the electric piano to a decent standard? If not, are there any value external soundcards which I could look to purchase?

Any advice would be great, as I know little about all this stuff (so far), I am trying to learn in between working but Christmas is coming soon and I just dont seem to have the time to research enough! Plus the fact tat its quite complex stuff - especially to someone who isn't familiar with the playing / technical terms of musical instruments/production.

Thanks in advance :)

CD Recording

Is there a possible way to record the music from the software to a CD?

Yes you can!

You just have to do a final mixdown. theres a tutorial on how to make a mixdown in the help menu. and just open the mixeddown file with windows media player or iTunes or whatever and burn a cd!

Latency

I have been trying to record on Kristal but I am having latency problems. I am running off a laptop so an asio card is not an option. I am running the first track and playing an electric violin through the mic in to the second track. When the song starts it is fairly close to the timing it should have but the farther it goes into the song, the greater the difference between the tracks. After about a mintute and a half there i a full second delay between the tracks. I also noticed that when I am recording and I hit the stop button, the line that progresses through the song as it plays stops, however the recorded track is actually longer than where it was stopped. I have tried to click on the recorded track (rectangle) to shorten the track to match the first but when I do it just clips the end of the track but leaves the timing untouched. I hope you can understand what I'm saying and give me some help.

Peter

ASIO4ALL - google it.

ASIO4ALL - google it. Worked perfectly on my laptop: knocked latency down from about half a second to not detectable. Good luck.

Re: Latency

I've had the same problem with laptops. I wish I could tell you what causes it, but I don't know either. I've noticed that I can move the audio back up a beat or two and its fine, but this is time consuming and annoying.

The best suggestion I can give you is to get on a computer. I never had problems recording on my desktop pc, but when I started using a laptop, thats when I had that problem.

Re: Latency

I think you need to use the ASIO card. Im having the same problem on my desktop with the standard MME. I think ASIO is generally better for recording software as its a low latency audio driver or something like that.

In Kristal, you can use your

In Kristal, you can use your standard onboard soundcard, but with an asio-driver. when recording I usually use a usb-soundcard with asio support as a standard, but occasionally I use my old toshiba laptop for recording, on which I installed asio4all (http://www.asio4all.com/) as a second driver for the onboard soundcard. It works well, and I have no latency problems. It's very simple: download the driver, install it, and it will automatically be recognised by Kristal (don't forget to select the asio driver in the preferences! Otherwise Kristal will still use the mme driver.)

good luck

I downloaded the ASIO4ALL

I downloaded the ASIO4ALL and installed it but when I go to the preferences it has three boxes to choose from: ASIO DirectX Driver, ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver, and ASIO Multimedia Driver. Which one do I need to choose b/c I went through each one individually and none of them worked.

Thanks

Latency

I used to have the same problem (I record from a laptop) but then I got an m-box. (basically a preamp)
It's pretty cheap and if it's just you recording alone, track by track, you can get the two track input and it comes with drivers and in the settings you can change the latency. Very nice product for the money. (maybe 100 bucks?)

You can bypass your soundcard with it and as it's a USB preamp you don't need to take the computer apart to install the hardware.

if you want to hear the sound quality (all done in kristal with some 3rd party free vst plugins) you can listen here:
http://www.vampirefreaks.com/tsbh

thanks and good luck!
-James

Newbie, just downloaded Kristal to use with DFH

Hello, this is new to me & Kristal got suggested to me from a few friends.
Im wanting to put some drum tracks down using DFH EZDrummer, but i have no idea how to get it to work.
i.e drag samples into Kristal?
Iknow its to do with the connection between audio input, but i just dont see how im to get it to work??
simple im guessing, but its going over my head & frustrating me =/

thankyou X

Double Sounds from PC & Mixer w/Quick Delay

Hi All:

I am trying Kristal for the first time and it seems very good. I have only a guitar plugged to the mic input. The effects work great but everything is coming out in delay after a note is played. I tried to turn off the PC wave but it stops Kristal's output also. Is there a fix for this?

Much Thanks
Terry <;}}><

Well it sounds like you're

Well it sounds like you're experiencing what is called LATENCY. Are you plugging your guitar into a recording interface? or a mixer? If you're using a recording interface you might check the latency adjustment settings in the control panel of the device.

Amazing Freeware

I've been using this program for a couple weeks now. I'm no professional, but I have been playing guitar for years. I use the Digitech RP250 pedal through USB and let Kristal do the rest. This program is great! The metronome feature works great for me and I have not experienced any delay between tracks. It's as tight as can be! All I have to do is have rhythm.

It's pretty easy to figure out. The mixer feature is great. I love the fact that you can add extra effects to the mixed product if you wish to. For someone who is on a tight budget and wants to record, this is awesome!!! As far as burning to cd, I use an older version of musicmatch jukebox! Love it!

Kristal Audio Engine is Awesome

Kristal Audio Engine is awesome.

Some tips: if you do not have an ASIO sound card, you will find that there is an audio delay during playback of your "second" recorded track, i.e., you put down a series of drum loops, then you record a rhythm guitar. Of course, the rhythm guitar is slightly off with regard to the tempo of the drum track. To overcome this without an ASIO sound card, simply mouse over the "rubber track window" in the Waver pane, and "reduce" the rectangle to a very small size. Then drag the rectangle as necessary using your mouse. This will allow you to zoom in on the visual representation of your audio. Specifically go to the start point, i.e., where you want your new track to begin. Set the "nudge" drop down box to 1 ms, and then nudge the new audio track in-line to where you want it to start. It takes a try or two, but it works just fine. It helps if you assign colors to each of your tracks as this allows you to visually remember what was recorded to what track. Also, you can assign track names in the left panel of the Waver, i.e., Guitar 1, Bass, Destruction Guitar etc.

Further, if you are recording direct in from a Line6 amplifier, you would do well to keep your amplifier's master output volume way down to prevent the "snarls", i.e., digital distortion. Further, the EQ section works quite well. If you follow some basic eq guidelines for guitars:, cut the low-end for your guitars completely below 250 hz and use the Q dial in the eq to create a hard drop off. Also, reduce the high-end of the original guitar track about 1 - 2 db. This will significantly reduce the "crackles" and "directness of the line in" and make the recorded guitar sound much more realistic. To add "cream" to the track, consider boosting the Mids about .5 db at 2500 khz. Further, this prevents the old loudness war, i.e., "I can't hear the drum details or the bass anymore." Well, d-uh, the guitar's low-end is masking the bass and low frequencies of the other instruments.

If you are working with drum loops, it helps to boost the hi-end eq, say at 8500 kHz and above about 1 db. This will provide significant clarity, but not horrific sizzle.

The Kristalizer function is fair, and good for increasing the overall loudness of a track, but beware, use the drive and gain portions sparingly. You'll only add unnecessary distortion to your tracks.

The chorus function is quite nice, but you must be careful to use it sparingly. I pull the mix function of the effect down to about 14 percent and keep the LFO dialed way down. Keep the Threshold dial at 100 percent unless you want to add significant, but unrealistic distortion to your tracks. The "punch me" function is great for increasing the perceived loudness of a project, but IMHO, save this for the mastering engineer. You can always turn the volume knob up on your car stereo.

The reverbs are fair. Again, they must be used very sparingly, as they tend to blurr the audio. Remember, when adding plug-ins, you're conducting a multitude of additional math calculations with your processor, thus requiring your processor to make "judgements" by rounding to the next decimal and assigning audio to the next bit. I find that creating an "off angle room" using the room size and width controls, plus increasing the damping effect, makes for a much smoother reverb. Plus, working the dry level and wet levels sparingly will create gorgeous reverb effects on guitars and vox.

The free delay software is incredible. Even the "factory" presets offer a huge range of creative possibilities. Note the tiny slider at the bottom of the delay plug-in. This helps reduce the "hugeness" of the selected delay. Plus, you can create your own delays by spending some time with the Sync, Vol, Filter, and axis controls. Just remember that little slider control at the bottom of the delay panel. Moving the slider to the left will help make your effect more musical. Sometimes, having the delay "backing" the line will add sweetness and depth to the recording.

The time counters on the tool bar are fantastic for nailing accurate start and end times. I find that zooming in on the beginning of a track and the end of a track, plus using the mute and solo functions on the mixer allows me to isolate noise and clean-up ends and starts. I always put a fade over the silence at the end of a track. This stops track noise and additional delay effect loops from continuously ringing and then chopping when the track ends. The individual track fades, although not as "granular" as the trim function in say, MOTU, allow you to adjust "hot spots" in your recording. Carefully isolate the offending loud section, i.e., zoom in tight using the "rubber rectangle" and then use the scissor command to "cut-out" the offending "bump" (don't forget to click the arrow command when you're done cutting) and then you can ever so slightly pull down that section volume-wise by grabbing the white track volume box in relation to the entire track. The white track volume box works in isolation from the edit faders. Works wonders. Always save, and save often. Plus, if you ever do anything you don't like, you can always hit the Z key to undo. Just make sure you also "unclick" the specified track you're working on; and if you've saved the project in the middle of your editing work, you won't be able to undo what you've done.

I've learned to label my working projects as "xxxxxxprojectfile" and then label the exported mix, and send to a new folder with the song title, "songabcmix1". Plus, you can bring the exported mixdown back to the Waver in a new project and add a bit of low-end boost, at 330 khz, or high boost (1 db should do it) for additional clarity around 8500 kHz.

I know, I know, many audio gurus, Bob Katz, specifically suggest saving mixes to 16 bit. However, I've been saving my mixes at 24 bit, using more hard drive space, but that's ok. This machine is dedicated to recording. Plus, I can export the project files and mixes to an external drive for saving. Let the mastering engineer do his majic and then down-sample to 16 bit for CD pressing.

I have several criticisms. First, there appears to be a 5 minute 30 second limit to the song recording time. Not good if you are into prog., or want to splice a keyboard section between your magnificent guitar works with a resulting 10 minute opus. Second, there is no MIDI support. Third, there is a distinct lack of compatible FREEWARE VST plugins out there for the KAE.

I hope the next version of KAE offers MIDI support, additional recognition of free VSTs, additional tracks, and reverb BUS features plus volume automation assignments. Now we'll be talking.

I've just completed my latest album using the Kristal Audio Engine and a M-Audio Interface. Once the CD is mastered, it will be posted for review on my website: http://www.richgoldin.com

Great review

That was a great review/info, thanks a million for that:-)

on doubt on Crystal audio engine

Hi,

I am a classical musician who also sing film songs. I was just trying to mix Karoke track with my voice and found the tempos not matching... I read ur soplution... but could not locate this "rubber track window" in the Waver pane, and the "rectangle". Also, the "nudge" drop down etc. (Below Waver 1 you have buttons for Open Audio File, Mono/Stereo, Connect, Record and Monitor, where is the rubber track window?). It will be a big help if u can enlighten me on this.

Thanks and regards,

naveen

Newbie is confused

Rich (aka, Zorgus), I am new to all of this and getting frustrated. You seem to know your way arounk Kristal. I have checked the Kristal community forum, but not found answers to my exact concerns. (And there are over 125 pages of questions there, with no "search" mechanism!!!!) My questions are BASIC.

I have downloaded the Aug 11, 2008, beta version of Kristal. I am getting input (as indicated on Waver bar) from the USB interface device (Behringer UCA202) from the casette tape in my old but reliable Tascam Porta 02. (Oddly, I didn't even know I was getting anything from the USB initially because I didn't find the drop down menu for that except by accident). But I can't hear anything while it's coming in. I can't monitor anything.

So, now that I have stubmled upon how to do recording, how do I do playback? And specifically, how to I hear the playback? I can't seem to find any command button for all of this. I read somewhere online that I needed ASIO to do playback/monitoring. Correct or no? At any rate, I have downloaded ASIO. Now what?

As you can tell, I am lost. I read the "help" information that came with the Kristal download, but I'm afraid I can't make heads or tails out of most of it. I just want to hear what I have recorded. I'll worry about tinkering with it (mixing, overdubbing, adding tracks, etc.) later. One thing at a time. For now, how do I playback and hear my playback?

Thanks!

Input, record, playback

Hi Newbie:

I think I hear what you are saying and I'll try to go through the steps to make sure you can a) input and b) hear your output.

1) You can't monitor in real time as you go into record mode. Don't even bother with the live recording functions in Kristal. For example, make sure that you have selected the correct sound card first off. Let's not worry about ASIO drivers at this time (that's the latency discussion, but we don't need to get into it just yet.) In all actuality, you don't even need a USB interface device to record, you could use that old TASCAM, RCA out down to stereo mini-plug and connect that to your computer's line in jack (on the back panel). You could monitor as you playback via this method:

a)*Output the TASCAM to a powered mixer via tape input or two of the 1/4" phone inputs and then set levels. Use the speaker outs to a set of decent speakers and then use the tape out from the powered mixer to the computer's line in jack (x2 RCA plugs to stereo mini-plug).

*I am sure your Behringer device has a headphone monitor jack. If you input into your computer via USB, you should be able to monitor your source in that manner via the Behringer. I have an M-Audio that I can monitor my source via headphone.

b)"Raw" monitor from the computer speakers as you listen to the tape, but make sure all of your computer audio controls are correct, i.e., nothing is checked MUTE -- see below.

2) Most low-price and mid-level PCs come with a MME integrated sound card. Simply go to the ENGINE > PREFERENCES > DEVICES Menu in KRISTAL and select (check) the sound card and driver set you wish to record and playback by. There's probably only one. The one that came with your PC; unless your Behringer came with a driver set and you installed them properly. Simply select the Behringer for record and perhaps your computer's sound card for MME playback. That's it.

3) Make sure the record engage button is "engaged" on the Waver window with regard to the appropriate channel prior to starting your record process. Be VERY careful with your levels as it is easy to overdrive the sound card from your source. You should also go to START > CONTROL PANEL > SOUNDS, SPEECH, AND AUDIO DEVICES and then click SOUNDS AND AUDIO DEVICES. Under the AUDIO tab you can see your sound card and set the volume and additional parameters there. (I stupidly assume your are using a PC and some version of WINDOWS XP).

4) Make sure that your LINE IN volume is not checked MUTE (I'm sure it isn't since you are getting an audio track), and make sure that none of the AUDIO volume control channels are NOT muted on the computer's sound control panel: Volume Control, SW Synth, WAVE, CD PLAYER and LINE In.

5) If you start to overdub, i.e., multi-track, you would disengage the first track's record button, and then engage Waver two. Here's where the ASIO sound card comes in. Most of the calculations for record and playback are done on your computer's CPU. If you use and ASIO sound card, (you can get some very good entry level ones for about $190.00) or look at Sweetwater's and pay upwards of $500.00 or more) the processing burden is placed on the ASIO sound card, thus virtually eliminating playback latency (your second track is a few seconds off from the initial track) and the audio sound clearer as well.

5 a) If you are recording old stereo tracks from cassette, then make sure, that you have the stereo button engaged on the Waver. If, for example, you are recording a new instrument, i.e., an electric guitar from your guitar amplifier out to the Behringer device, you would want to record that in mono -- if you did not use a 1/4" stereo phone plug from the amp's stereo out. BTW, you can get a very cool sound if you use a mono 1/4" plug just by not pushing it all the way into the headphone jack. I prefer this tone anyway. If you did use a 1/4" stereo plug/split, then you can record the guitar in stereo, and the same goes for stereo out keyboards.

6) Alas, if you do not have an ASIO sound card to plug into your PCI slot on the motherboard, and you're going to multi-track (open the computer's case and you'll see the slots on the motherboard just waiting for sound cards and other stuff), you can simply drag and align your recorded tracks via mouse click. It's a pain, but you'll notice the neat little drop down box that says "snap to grid". You can adjust that to 1ms or greater. Remember, the less milliseconds, the shorter the time window. The ASIO download is a P.O.S. and DOESN'T WORK. When you're ready, buy a decent ASIO sound card.

7) You can playback by selecting the TRANSPORT bar and hitting the play button. Remember that the "rewind" process is slow. If you wish to isolate a point in the audio, simply expand the "rubber" window in the track monitor box and slide the window to the point on your audio you wish to modify.

8) It is best to record at 44.1 in 24 bit. EXPORT your mixes to a new file (right click, new folder). It's OK to export in 24 bit. However, CD audio is traditionally saved and burned at 16 bit. Remember, a MIX is NOT the same as a PROJECT FILE. You would OPEN project files to work on your compositions etc.

9) I recorded my entire last CD on Kristal. You can too. Just be patient and experiment. You'll get better as you use the software.

9a) There are some great VST plug-ins for Kristal that are more versatile than the stock ones. Check out Steinberger Hello Kitty Brick Wall Maximizer; Digitalfishphones Endorphin (for finalizing -- great low-end/hi-end compressor/de-compressor); Kjaerhus Audio free plug-ins. Go to these sites, download and SAVE to your desktop. Click the WINDOWS icon key on your keyboard and HOLD and press the E key at the same time. Expand the C drive and then open PROGRAM FILES > KREATIVES.org > KRISTAL > Plugins. I can't recall, but I made a new Plug-Ins folder in the KRISTAL folder. You can unzip the downloads either by dragging the downloaded folder to the plug-in folder, right clicking and then unzipping the plug-in, or do that on your desktop and then copy the plug-ins associated dll and read me to the VST folder. The best thing to do is unzip and drag the whole folder to the plug in folder under Kristal. Restart your PC, and then, voila, you'll have a host of new processing software, all for free, showing up in the mixer effect slots when you click there for the drop-down.

10) I found that I needed AUDACITY (another freeware DAW) to help clean up mixes further.

11) A word of caution. PLEASE, PLEASE -- make a back up disc of your KRISTAL projects as you approach the final stage. As a person with fast fingers, I found out the hard way that Windows Media Player,{ (hate the darn thing) when selecting the "delete file from library and computer" option} that this command will continue to "scrape" anything associated with the .wav mix and continue to proceed to delete files from your KRISTAL media folder unless you close WMP -- quickly. You can always use File Scavenger to recover deleted files post recycle bin, but it isn't easy or pretty.

I'm happy to help. I hope this helped. Feel free to ask additional questions.

Z

Z, I hooked up my electric

Z, I hooked up my electric guitar to my laptop's USB port: guitar > amp > Behringer U-Control UCA202 > USB port on laptop. (I had to wait till today to get a 1/4-to-RCA adaptor from Radio Shack for the guitar cable to connect to the RCA plugs on the Behringer.) I "recorded" a small sample on Kristal. (At least , the Waver bar showed something going on.) However, when I try playing it back, nothing happens. I hit "play" on the "tranpsort" bar, but nothing happens. The green light shows up, but the waver bar does nothing. I can't seem to get it to rewind, either. I have tried hitting all the commands in the waver selections and on the transport bar, but nothing seems to help. What am I missing? I know that when you tell me what I need to do, it will seem obvious. But right now, nothing seems obvious--except that I don't "get" this gizmo. Thanks! Art

Playback

Art:

I take it that you show audio imagery on the track you recorded to. If so, are you rewinding to "zero" on the transport menu?

Specifically, does the position bar rewind or move forward when you click and hold down the mouse button? Does the position bar move when you hit play?

It's pretty simple. Just open Kristal. Make sure you engage the record button in the Waver window, and then hit the record button on the transport bar. Then, when you want to hear playback, just rewind a bit and you should hear your recorded material.

Again, I think that you have something muted on your computer's audio control panel.

START > CONTROL PANEL > SOUNDS, SPEECH AND AUDIO DEVICES > AUDIO TAB > here is where you make sure your integrated sound card is selected both for recording and playback (until you get an ASIO card). I wouldn't be using a laptop to do home recording, but that is my personal preference.

START > CONTROL PANEL > SOUNDS, SPEECH AND AUDIO DEVICES > Adjust the system volume > VOLUME > ADVANCED > make sure that nothing is checked as "mute". Also make sure that all of the various volume sliders in this window are up to a "reasonable" level.

Lastly, are the faders internal to KRISTAL up, i.e., the selected track volume and the Master Volume Slider?

In KRISTAL:

ENGINE > PREFERENCES > DEVICES > MME PLAYBACK > make sure the card selected here matches your integrated sound card on your machine.

Lastly, if Kristal "sticks", try saving your project and then reboot the machine. I've had to do this on occasion.

That's all I can think of. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Z

Unable to play on Kristal Tape transport.

Hi,
I have imported a wav file into the waver. I can see the audio on the track. I have been able to play and record on other devices.
When I press play on the transport, the light turns green and nothing else happens. The transport position does not change and the position bar does not change. The wind/rewind buttons move the position bar and the position indicator. The Locate start/end buttons also work. It does not matter where I position the position bar, play does not work. This is not a sound issue, but seems to be something in the tape transport software.
I have tried a re-boot to no avail. I could re-install Kristal I guess.
Any suggestions would be most welcome.
Thanks.
Ciarriadh

Same problem

Hi
I've got the same problem as you. Isn't it anyone who have the solution?
Have you fixed your problem yet? If so, how did you do it?

Thanks/Klara

Solution: No Audio Output - Transport won't move when click play

Check the "Audio Output" box in the bottom left side of the "Mixer" window. If you do not have a valid interface selected then what you are describing is what happens. Click in the box and pick the correct playback device and it will start working. You need to have previously set up all of your devices in the Engine - Preferences dialog boxes so that Kristal knows what you have installed. Check the tutorials for how to do this in detail. Help - Kristal Audio Engine Help will get you to the web site with the manual and tutorials.

Thanks, Z! I will try your

Thanks, Z! I will try your suggestions. It looks like the first thing I might do, though, is uninstall the ASIO I downloaded. I'm sure I'll have other questions as I go along. The reason I am using the Behringer unit, btw, is because I am using a laptop that does not have a "line-in" socket. So I have to use the USB. And, yes, I am operating wth XP. I'll keep you posted. Thanks!

Delay between tracks

There seems to be a slight delay between each track. Anybody know how to fix this?

Re: Delay between tracks

Try downloading an ASIO driver.

Panning ?

Is it possible to pan left and right?

Panning ?

Just launch the Mixer Panel and you will find below the EQ and M S O section is a small vertical stick, just point your mouse on it and drag it to left or right as you wish. Kristal is good but sometimes sound gets cracked during the time of mixing.After mixing is is fine.

Took me a few minutes of

Took me a few minutes of "Where's the &^%$ing Pan?" before I noticed that so not surprising the OP missed it ;).

Re cracking sound: increase the buffer size in the AISO driver - but as it's really only a playback issue it will not appear after a mixdown to a final track.

Re: panning

Yes. The mixer is in one of the pull down menus... It works pretty much the mixer in Cubase or Pro Tools...

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